ZenTrading
Setup guide Β· about 10 minutes

Connect MetaTrader 5 to Zen

Never used an EA before? No problem. Follow these steps in order and your trades will flow into your Zen journal by themselves. You install one small program, Zen Bridge, once. After that there is nothing to keep up with.

A ZenTrading accountFree is fine. Create one if you haven't yet.
MetaTrader 5 (MT5)On a Windows PC, a Mac, or a VPS. Your broker's MT5 works.
Your MT5 account loginThe account number, password and server your broker gave you.

1Install MT5 and sign in to your broker account

  1. Download MetaTrader 5 from your broker's website (recommended: it comes with their servers filled in), or from metatrader5.com. On a Mac, use the MetaTrader 5 app for macOS.
  2. Open MT5. Go to File β†’ Login to Trade Account.
  3. Enter the account number, password and pick the server your broker gave you, then press OK.
  4. You're in when prices move in Market Watch (left) and the bottom-right corner shows a green connection bar.

Zen never asks for your broker password. You only type it into MT5 itself.

2Download Zen Bridge from Zen

  1. Sign in at zentradingapp.com and open Connect in the menu.
  2. Under Connect with Zen Bridge, press Download Zen Bridge. You get one file: ZenBridge.ex5.
  3. Remember where it went (usually your Downloads folder).

Get it from your Zen account only. A copy someone sends you won't help: every copy has to be approved by its owner's Zen account (step 7).

3Put Zen Bridge into MT5

  1. In MT5, open File β†’ Open Data Folder. A folder window opens.
  2. Double-click MQL5, then Experts.
  3. Move or copy ZenBridge.ex5 into that Experts folder. You can close the folder window afterwards.
  4. Back in MT5, find the Navigator (left side; if you can't see it press Ctrl+N). Right-click Expert Advisors and choose Refresh.
  5. ZenBridge now appears in the list under Expert Advisors.
Drop ZenBridge.ex5 into MQL5 β†’ Experts.
After Refresh, ZenBridge is listed under Expert Advisors.

4Let MT5 talk to Zen (once per MT5)

MT5 blocks EAs from the internet until you allow a website. You do this one time.

  1. Go to Tools β†’ Options (or press Ctrl+O).
  2. Open the Expert Advisors tab.
  3. Tick Allow algorithmic trading.
  4. Tick Allow WebRequest for listed URL.
  5. Click add new URL in the list, type the address below exactly, and press Enter.
  6. Press OK.
https://zentradingapp.com
Tools β†’ Options.
Expert Advisors tab: two ticks and the Zen address.

Type it exactly: https:// at the start, no slash or spaces at the end. Leave any other options in this tab as they are.

5Turn on Algo Trading

In the toolbar at the top of MT5 there's an Algo Trading button. It must be green (on). If it shows red, click it once.

Zen Bridge needs this even if you only want your journal, because it places Zen Katana trades when you press PLACE on the chart.

6Attach Zen Bridge to a chart

  1. Open any chart (any symbol, any timeframe). For example right-click a symbol in Market Watch β†’ Chart Window.
  2. Drag ZenBridge from the Navigator onto the chart, or use Insert β†’ Experts β†’ ZenBridge.
  3. A settings window opens. On the Common tab make sure Allow Algo Trading is ticked.
  4. The Inputs tab needs nothing: the Zen address is already filled in. Press OK.
Insert β†’ Experts β†’ ZenBridge (or drag it from the Navigator).
Common tab: Allow Algo Trading ticked, then OK.

One chart per MT5 account is enough. You can attach it to more charts (for example to use Zen Katana on several symbols): only one copy talks to Zen at a time, automatically.

7Approve it in Zen

  1. Within a few seconds the Zen Bridge card appears in the bottom-left corner of the chart with a 6-letter code.
  2. On zentradingapp.com β†’ Connect, your account appears under step 3 with an Approve button. Press it.
  3. Not listed? Open Not showing up? Type the code from the chart, type the 6 letters, and press Approve.
The card shows your code (example code shown).
Connect page: press Approve (example account shown).

Your plan decides how many MT5 accounts you can connect (Free: 1). If Zen says your plan is full, disconnect an old account on the Connect page, use a code, or upgrade on Membership.

8You're connected: what you'll see

  • The card shows your plan, how many account slots you use, and synced with the time of the last update.
  • Your past trades are imported and new ones appear in your Journal within seconds.
  • Tools in your membership show as buttons on the card, for example OPEN ZEN KATANA. Press one to open it on that chart; Close panel takes you back.
  • Settings for your tools (risk per trade, daily limit, break-even…) are in Zen, on the tool's page, for example Zen Katana. Charts pick up changes within a minute.
Connected (example member shown). The button appears only if your plan includes the tool.

9Keep it running

  • MT5 has to be open for your journal to update live. If you close it, nothing is lost: missed trades come in the next time MT5 runs with Zen Bridge.
  • 24/7 without your computer: run MT5 on a VPS (a computer in the cloud) and do steps 1 to 7 there.
  • More accounts: repeat steps 1 and 6 to 7 for each MT5 account, within your plan.
  • Updates: when a new Zen Bridge is out, the card and the Connect page say so. Download it, replace the file in MQL5 β†’ Experts (step 3), and you're done. Your approval stays.
  • Stop sharing an account: press Disconnect on the Connect page, or remove Zen Bridge from the chart (right-click the chart β†’ Expert List β†’ Remove).

Something not working?

The card says "allow https://zentradingapp.com"

MT5 is blocking the connection. Redo step 4: Tools β†’ Options β†’ Expert Advisors, tick Allow WebRequest for listed URL and add https://zentradingapp.com exactly. Then remove Zen Bridge from the chart and attach it again.

Nothing appears on the chart
  • Check the Algo Trading button is green (step 5) and Allow Algo Trading is ticked on the Common tab (step 6).
  • Look at the top-right of the chart: a small hat icon means the EA is running. A crossed-out or grey hat means trading is off.
  • Open the Toolbox (Ctrl+T) β†’ Experts tab: Zen Bridge writes what it's doing there.
My account doesn't appear on the Connect page

Use the code instead: on Connect, open Not showing up? Type the code from the chart and type the 6 letters from the card. Codes last 15 minutes; the card shows a fresh one by itself.

"Your plan connects 1 MT5 account"

Every plan has a number of account slots. Disconnect an account you no longer use on the Connect page (its history stays in your journal), apply a code on Membership, or upgrade.

The card says "standby"

Zen Bridge is running for the same account on another chart or computer, which is reporting instead. That's normal. If you close the other one, this copy takes over within about a minute and a half.

I don't see the OPEN ZEN KATANA button

Zen Katana comes with Trader and Pro, or with a code that includes it. See Membership. The button appears within a minute of your plan changing.

I use another connector or EA from before

If you had an older ZenConnector or Zen Katana EA on this account, remove them from their charts: Zen Bridge replaces both. Other EAs you use can stay.

Is it safe?
  • Zen never asks for your broker password and never sees it.
  • Each approval only works for that one MT5 account, and you can disconnect it any time.
  • Zen Bridge only places trades you start yourself (for example by pressing PLACE in Zen Katana), or tools you switch on.

Still stuck? Send us the text on the Zen Bridge card and a screenshot of the Toolbox β†’ Experts tab from your Zen account, and we'll help.